Friday, March 31, 2006

I have no problem in the world having more border patrol guards and stiffer border enforcement for security reasons, but I don't think it is practical or wise for us to try to denigrate or demonize a lot of the undocumented immigrants who came here and are working hard, paying taxes, making a contribution, and sending the money back home to their folks.

(Is it a civil war in Iraq?) Oh, I don't know that you can call it that yet, because they're all still, I think, somewhat jockeying for position. What I hope will happen is that all those people who voted in huge numbers, they voted — they thought — to constitute a government which would function, hold the country together, be able to keep peace, and guarantee each of their groups a reasonable share of the country's oil and other wealth. That's what I still hope can happen. If it doesn't happen, in addition to the civil war, you may have the Sunni section becoming a launching pad for terrorism in the region. That did occur with the al Qaeda Jordan group, Mr. Zarqawi's group, when they blew up those hotels in Jordan recently. ... I worry if the whole thing is allowed to disintegrate, we could have it not only terrible for the Iraqis but also being a base of terrorist operations — something which it was not before the invasion.

I advised [Dubai Ports World] to offer measures to increase port security if they really wanted to pursue this avenue, but I think the main thing that has been lost here is that Americans need to improve port security, and that most of us who did not favor this deal are not opposed to either Dubai or to foreign investment in America. I think Dubai has been a great partner for the United States in the War against Terror. I think it represents a new Middle East that I hope will spread like wildfire across the region, and I'm quite comfortable with having them be heavily invested in the United States. I opposed this deal because I don't think we should do anything to compromise, or even to raise questions, about port security until we dramatically improve it, but that doesn't mean I think we won't have any foreign investment, don't need it, and don't need any friends in the Middle East. I think the people in Dubai are quite sophisticated and they will understand that the opposition in America had much more to do with our own failure to provide port security and take care of our own business than with their investment.

Gawd, I wish Clinton were still President. So what if he can't keep his Slick Willie in his pants? He's intelligent and thoughtful, which immediately puts him two up on Dubya.